Prelude@#
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Screenshot  Screenshot of www.thinkingai.com | |
| Web address | http://www.thinkingai.com/ |
|---|---|
Type of site | Chatterbot |
| Registration | None |
| Created by | Lennart Lopin |
Alexa rank |
 29,855 (September 2013)[1] |
| Current status | Active |
Prelude@# or simply Prelude is a program that uses a unique artificial intelligence algorithm to converse with humans. Prelude is a "self-learning", i.e. teachable chatbot. It does not depend on any pre-fabricated knowledge. Prelude learns while chatting with users and applies various machine learning algorithms to enable it to choose a response she herself "thinks" appropriate. Prelude can be applied to any language and will quickly gain conversational skills as its conversational memory expands. Prelude's first version was created in 2001 by the German-American Computer-Linguist Lennart Lopin. Since then the software has seen various phases of evolution, including support as IRC chatbot, Skype auto-answer agent, MSN and other IM messenger plugins. Prelude is also available on Linux/OSx via Mono. For visualization, Prelude relies on the Windows msagent technology and Guile3D characters. It uses Windows TTS and speech recognition to communicate with users (besides text input).
In 2008 Prelude's engine was released as open source project.[2] Since then the adaptation of Prelude's has spread into other software projects, notably games. Prelude's latest engine version includes API requests to quantum random generators, a custom command plugin interface and sqlite database.[3]
Operation
Unlike other chatterbots, Prelude's responses are not programmed. Instead, Prelude "learns" from human input; With Prelude a user does not have to spend time tweaking, configuring, programming or maintaining his bot. Prelude and she is ready to learn. While casually chatting with her, she continuously learns and grows smarter independently. Besides the open source project, Prelude is also available as a commercial download. The commercial download incorporates Prelude's latest engine. An online live chat system allows user to interact with Prelude online which benefits from conversational threads that Prelude collected on IRC over the last decade. Prelude can also interpret AIML but uses its own database layout.
Versions
Since 2003 a variety of Prelude implementations were released. The majority of these versions are part of the commercial package which includes a developer SDK.
- PreludeMSN Bot
- PreludeIRC Bot
- Prelude Bot Converter (AIML to native 'mind' files)
- Prelude terminal implementation in Mono for Linux/OSx
- Prelude Skype Plugin
- PreludeCOM version for application in C/C++ programs
- Prelude Online live chat
Third Party Engine Applications
After the project's engine was released as an open source project in 2010 Prelude quickly found its way into third party software applications. In 2011 Prelude was already found serving as virtual character in Second Life avatars. New World News quotes: So it was a strange conversation to say the least, but that may have something to do with how April "learns" to speak. "The bot only knows what she learned from people," Ayumi Cassini, one of her creators (with Sql Miles), tells me. "[O]ur bot uses Prelude engine. Generally, she associates what she says with what she hears, and then chooses the best response based on her associations... So she might not know who is Einstein or that carrot is a vegetable, but she still can have an intelligent conversation. Although, as I said, April is still pretty silly. The more she talks with people, the more 'intelligent' she'll become. When she repeats after you, it means she hasn't got any associations with what you said yet, so she's not sure what the reply should be. That's when you should teach her the proper reply (answer her properly)."[4]
Awards
In 2005 Prelude won the prestigious chatterbox contest in the category of self-learning chatbot.[5]
References
- ↑ "thinkingai.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2013-09-01.
- ↑ "engine". github.com. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
- ↑ "ThinkingAi". thinkingai.com. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
- ↑ "Meet April, the Bot Who Learns To Speak As She's Spoken To". New World Notes. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
- ↑ "ChatterboxChallenge 2005". chatterboxchallenge.com.